About Jonathan C. Tetzlaff
Jonathan Tetzlaff has a B.A. and M.A., as well as a CISSP, CBRM, and MBCI. He is a member of the Association of Continuity Professionals, the World Affairs Council, the International Association for Property and Evidence, and many other professional organizations. He has traveled globally throughout his life, living in France and thereafter working in many dozens of countries around the world. Jonathan majored in French at the undergraduate level, and was certified in French at the graduate level. Jonathan has a B.A. in International Relations and French, and an M.A. in U.S. & Comparative Foreign Policy. His post-graduate study includes “certificate courses” at institutions including MIT and Georgetown University.
Jonathan’s training and presentations are global in nature: he has presented to many dozens of audiences over several decades, including the U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), the World Affairs Council, the U.S. Army’s Worldwide Long-Range Planners’ Conference, the Conference Board, CISO Executive Summit, Security 500, National Business Aviation Association, the University of Chicago, the International Security Management Association, and the National Defense University.
Government and Corporate Work
In 1980, Jonathan began work as a Senior Analyst with the US Government and continued that work for 10 years. In 1990 he was recruited to work for the multinational oil firm Amoco Corporation (later acquired by BP). While at Amoco, Jonathan focused on the challenges unique to extractive and manufacturing industries, especially those operating in a variety of challenging locations around the world. At Amoco, Jonathan’s focus was consistently on cost-effective, practical, feasible solutions, rather than theoretical or academic approaches.
Recruited by Merck in 2000, Jonathan served in multiple positions over 13 years, including Merck’s Director of Security (globally) and Senior Director for Crisis Management & Business Continuity. In the latter position, he created Merck’s global crisis management program and continued his work on risk management, including an emphasis on manufacturing and supply chain issues. Since retiring from Merck, Jonathan has worked with numerous Fortune 50 corporations in varied industries.
Work with Academic Institutions
In addition to working with major corporations, Jonathan has worked with schools at all levels. From creating a “Director of Security” job description for a college in eastern Pennsylvania to conducting final interviews for the “Head of Security” at a K-12 school in Philadelphia, Jonathan has worked on all aspects of school security.
At schools in Delaware, Oklahoma, Indiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Jonathan has conducted comprehensive security reviews and audits of a full range of issues. He has reviewed physical security, computer security, hiring, background checks, “guns on campus,” and a wide variety of other aspects of importance to schools.
In conducting these reviews and audits, Jonathan follows guidelines established by varied organizations including the U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
International Experience
Jonathan’s international risk management responsibilities have included onsite analysis in locations as varied as Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Angola, Algeria, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Yemen, Romania, and elsewhere in Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
A recent trip to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) provided Jonathan with particularly-interesting perspectives on security in the world’s most-reclusive nation.
Jonathan is a frequent public speaker and was featured in a cover story on Crisis Management in Security magazine. He outlines his approach to Risk Management in a DePaul Business Law Journal article. He is also periodically interviewed for his thoughts on security and risk mitigation, as illustrated in this article on InfoSecurityProductsGuide.com.
Work with Partner Firms
Since retiring from Merck & Co., Inc., Jonathan worked extensively with Remlu, Inc., conducting training and providing a wide range of security support to corporate clients around the world. Remlu was an experienced and highly-regarded security firm based in New York City which provided security training and emergency preparedness globally. Together, Remlu and TRM offered a “team approach” to a wide range of security challenges. That approach is now led by TRM, but I continue to partner with key experts in the field, including long-time colleagues who worked with Remlu.
Jonathan has worked over many years with The Jane Group, conducting security assessments of a number of schools. The Jane Group is one of the only firms in the U.S. which specializes in crisis management for independent schools, including messaging and communications, media training, and reputation management. The Jane Group has served hundreds of independent schools, from Pre-K through high school, in the U.S. and abroad.
In 2016, Jonathan joined the management team of Business Resilience Certification Consortium International (BRCCI). As BRCCI notes in its website: “We are committed to ensuring that all professionals, trained and certified through our program, have the essential know-how and qualifications to develop effective, mature, and reliable business continuity and IT disaster recovery plans.” As a member of the BRCCI Management Team, Jonathan continues a relationship with BRCCI which began in 2008, when he first received his CBRM (Certified Business Resilience Manager) certification. For more information, please contact BRCCI or myself.
